For the first time golfers will be able to maintain a handicap without being a member of a golf club.
Scottish Golf have released an app that they say is one of the biggest changes to the sport in a generation.
They are the first of the governing bodies in Great Britain and Ireland to introduce such a scheme, with England & Wales set to follow suit.
For £5.99 a month golfers across Scotland will have access to the OpenPlay app.
Subscriptions are on a month by month basis with no long term commitment and its hoped it will open up handicaps to an estimated half a million golfers in Scotland who do not currently hold a golf club membership.
They will be required to register scores from 54 holes of golf, which can be made up from any combination of 18 and nine hole rounds, before receiving their OpenPlay handicap.
The app provides free GPS for yardage at 36,000 courses, 50% discounts on golf booking fees and an exclusive OpenPlay green fees.
Karin Sharp, Chief Operating Officer at Scottish Golf, said: “The way people consume golf has changed a great deal in recent years, as golfers look for a more flexible approach to the sport that suits their lifestyle and fits around their other commitments.
It's believed that traditional club memberships don't suit the lifestyle of a modern golfer or they simply dont offer value for money.
According to Scottish Golf, the long term trend before the pandemic saw a consistent reduction of around 5,000 members a year over the previous 10 years.
They are hoping to reverse this trend and say they want to: "explore alternative approaches to make sure the game remains relevant and accessible to the modern golfer and (hope) more people try the sport for the first time."
In New Zealand where a similar initiative was launched in 2018, 20% of those who joined the independent golfer scheme went on to become members of a club.
Significantly, the average age of those new members was approximately 20 younger than the average golf club member.
Initial feedback from the app indicates it benefits causal players with one saying they were pleased with app because they don't play enough to justify the cost of membership.
Another user was happy to pay Scottish Golf a fee saying: " Registering for it was very easy and think the idea of paying Scottish Golf a fee is good to allow me to at least have a true handicap reflection.”
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